The House
by Marymel
Summary: Barbara Russell returns to a familiar house in Seattle...and a surprise. Spoilers for CSI:Cyber.


**Jackson and Greta are my original characters, but I don't own CSI.**

 **And please read and review my story Greta's First Halloween!**

 **While I loved seeing D.B. on CSI: Cyber, I hate how they changed his character. I always loved that he was a happily married family man, and I miss seeing his family on the show. Then I remembered a conversation D.B. and Barbara had in the season 14 episode Last Supper, and I thought it would be a good story. Hope you enjoy, and please review!**

Barbara Russell had arrived back in Seattle after visiting her son Charlie in Las Vegas. Even though she didn't want to go to Vegas in the first place, she, D.B. and Charlie had made a home there. Even with everything that happened - her granddaughter's kidnapping, her daughter Maya being stalked and nearly killed, her good friend Julie Finlay's death and the breakup of her own marriage - Barbara still found good friends and extended family in Vegas.

She especially loved taking care of Jackson Sanders, the son of her husband's coworker Greg Sanders. The little boy gave her another family, and she missed him as much as she'd missed her granddaughter Katie when she lived in Vegas. On her and Maya's trip to visit Charlie in Vegas, they made time to see Jackson and his family. She loved meeting Jackson's new baby sister Greta and visiting with Jackson's mom and dad. And Jackson just adored her. She realized she had a good family in Vegas with her husband's extended CSI family.

Now she was back in Seattle after leaving her marriage. She told herself she couldn't end it. She thought she was stronger than any case her husband might have worked on. But when he was asked to join the FBI in Washington D.C., she felt she didn't have the strength. She made the painful decision to return to Seattle without her husband. And as much as she knew Seattle was her home and she belonged with her family, she missed her husband with every heartbeat. Greg told her D.B. was doing well, from what he heard. He had a good team there - though Greg admitted he and the team missed him and Barbara in Vegas. D.B. had even come back to testify on a case and had dinner with everyone. Barbara smiled sadly as she thought of how the team quickly became a second family for her and how she missed her husband as well as her dear friends.

On a pretty autumn day, she found herself driving around Seattle. She drove around, just looking at her hometown, thinking of her family. Before she realized it, she was in front of the house she and her husband always admired. She parked on the sidewalk and looked at the beautiful house. Before Vegas, she and her husband would often drive by and admire the house. They'd even joked about going up and knocking on the door and asking if they could buy the house. One day, when they still lived in Vegas and she was visiting Maya and her family, Barbara did just that. To her surprise, the owner said it was. She told D.B. that she wanted him to be happy and safe, and he told her that one day they would go up to the house together. But that day didn't come.

She sighed sadly as she looked at the beautiful house and thought of how she wanted to host Thanksgiving dinner and have her grandchildren sleep over. She thought of how she wanted to spend lazy Sundays with a cup of coffee on the front porch and have a garden in the backyard. When she shook her head and prepared to leave, she glanced at the "for sale" sign and saw that it was now sold. Barbara wiped a tear away and thought of how she wished her family could've lived there and had their own happily ever after.

As she started to leave, a woman in a gray pantsuit waved to her. Barbara narrowed her eyebrows and rolled down her car window. The woman walked up and smiled. "Are you Mrs. Russell?"

Barbara's eyes widened. "Y-Yes. How...?"

"My dad lived here," the woman explained. "He said there was a family that wanted to buy the place. One day a woman came by and just knocked on the door."

"That was me," Barbara said as a smile inched onto her face.

The woman smiled and nodded. "He said you came in and asked about the place. He said the way you looked around...you were going to make it your home."

Barbara nodded and smiled sadly. "Yeah. My granddaughter would love to play on the swing in the backyard. My husband..." She looked away briefly. "My ex-husband...he said he would help me in the garden and we'd have Christmas dinner in the big dining room."

The woman smiled an understanding smile. "Well...the new owner's inside."

Barbara said nothing, but smiled sadly.

"He saw you drive up," the woman continued. "And...he'd love to meet you."

Barbara looked at the woman with wide eyes. "He...he would?"

"Yeah. He asked that you come in." The woman smiled and stepped away, allowing Barbara to open her car door.

Hesitantly, Barbara opened her car door and got out. She looked up at the big house, thinking of how she would've loved to have retired there with her family.

"Please," the woman said. "It's all right. He'd love to see you."

Taking a deep breath, Barbara walked up to the front door. When she reached the door, she lifted an unsteady hand and tapped on the door. She questioned to herself why she should stay when she heard footsteps approach the door.

When the door opened, Barbara's eyes widened and she smiled hesitantly. "D.B.?"

Her former husband, D.B. Russell, stood smiling softly at the woman he'd always loved. "Welcome home, doll."

Barbara gasped softly. "You...you bought the house?"

D.B. nodded. "I told you one of these days we'd live here."

A surprised laugh escaped Barbara. "Wh-what about the FBI?"

"Retired," D.B. said with a soft smile. "They were a great team, but...I knew it was time to hang it up."

"B-But Greg said you met..."

D.B. nodded again. "There was a woman...Greer. But...as nice as it felt to be wanted again...she wasn't you. I could never have anything with her or anyone else that could come close to what we had...what I hope we still have."

Barbara gasped softly and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. Tears fell down her cheeks. "You mean that?"

"Yes!"

"This is...this is your home?"

" _Our_ home...if you still want it. If you still want _me_."

More tears fell as Barbara nodded. "I've never stopped." She wrapped her arms around D.B. and embraced, reveling in how right it felt.

As they hugged, their daughter Maya and her family joined them on the porch. Maya filmed the event on her cell phone as Charlie watched the video.

When D.B. and Barbara shared a sweet, loving kiss, their granddaughter Katie grimaced and said, "Ew!"

Maya, her husband Ryan, and Charlie laughed softly. The woman joined them on the porch. "I think they love the house," she said.

Barbara and D.B. broke away and smiled at their family. The woman explained, "Mr. Russell said that he just retired and wanted to spend more time with his family."

"Yeah," D.B. said. "Oh, Barbara, this is Lila Irwin. Her parents had the house before..."

Barbara and Lila shook hands. "Yeah, I grew up here," Lila said. "And I wanted someone who would really love and take care of the place. When Mr. Russell told me about his family, I knew he was the perfect person for the house."

"And we can move in today," D.B. said.

Barbara gasped in surprise and delight. "Now?!"

"As soon as possible," her husband said.

"I'll come up and help you pack," Charlie said over the phone.

"And we can get your garden started in back," Maya said.

"Yeah! And maybe Jackson and his family can come visit!" Katie said. Her grandparents smiled.

Barbara looked at her family and the house. "We really own this house?"

D.B. smiled lovingly at his wife. "We do. We really do."

Looking at their family and their new home, Barbara cried tears of love and joy. "Yes."

D.B. smiled at his wife. "Yes?"

Barbara laughed softly. "Let's do it. I'm in!"

Their family cheered as D.B. hugged his wife and they shared a brief, sweet kiss. He knew he had a second chance with the family he loved. And Barbara knew she and her husband were meant to be together.

Lila took the key from her pocket. "Mr. and Mrs. Russell...I believe this belongs to you."

Barbara smiled as she took the key to her new home. She looked at it and felt the promise of a happily ever after with her husband and family.

"Welcome home," their family shouted.

D.B. lifted his wife in his arms and carried her over the threshold. Barbara laughed and cried as she stood in her new home with her husband.

"Welcome home, Barbara," D.B. said as he gently put her down.

Barbara breathed deeply and cherished the first moments in her and her family's new house. She smiled at her loving husband and family.

"I'm home."

 **The End**


End file.
